30 September 2026
The Netherlands revises hydrogen ambitions in updated National Energy Plan
The Dutch government has updated its ‘Nationaal Plan Energiesysteem’ (NPE), placing greater emphasis on implementation, energy resilience and tackling grid congestion while adjusting several ambitions to reflect changing market conditions. For hydrogen, the revised plan acknowledges that demand for renewable hydrogen is developing more slowly than anticipated in the 2023 NPE, but maintains hydrogen as an important part of the future energy system, particularly for industrial applications that are difficult to electrify. The government now targets 3 - 4 GW of electrolysis capacity by 2035, alongside the development of the national hydrogen network and 4 TWh of hydrogen storage capacity. At the same time, the NPE prioritises scaling both hydrogen infrastructure and demand during the 2026–2029 policy period, highlighting the need to develop production, transport, storage and end-use in parallel. The shift reflects a broader move towards more realistic implementation while preserving hydrogen's strategic role alongside electrification, renewable electricity and sustainable carbon in building a resilient, lower-carbon and less import-dependent Dutch energy system.